Portrait

In principle a portrait depicts a particular person; it can take the form of a painting, a sculpture, a photography or any other artistic representation. Historically portraits go back 5000 years to ancient Egypt, making it one of the preferred artistic themes for artists. Artists have used this particular art form to show the power, importance, virtue, beauty, wealth, taste, and other qualities of their subjects but also to reveal their own personality. Portrait art has illustrated royalty, such as Goya’s representations of the Spanish royal family, as well as artist’s friends and lovers, as Picasso’s portrait gallery shows. As portrait photography slowly became a replacement for traditional portraiture, the number of those who had access to such a luxury became wider. Nowadays even though portraits have become a common form of expression, and even a common product of consumption, portrait painting continues to flourish.